Over the past two weeks, a series of incidents of shootings, torching, and abductions targeting Oromos and foreign nationals were carried out in the border town of Moyale by armed assailants crossing from the Ethiopian side of the border. Kenyan police have confirmed that the majority of the attackers in custody for the most recent attack on 12 August 2024 are Ethiopians. The deliberate targeting of innocent civilians through these heinous actions is not only a crime against those affected but a grave threat to peace and stability in the region. Such aggressive behavior is also a blatant violation of international norms and a direct threat to the well-being of innocent civilians on both sides of the border.
While investigations are still ongoing, the authoritarian in Arat Kilo, who has been adept in exporting and importing instability in the Horn region from his early days in office, stands as the primary suspect. In only four years, Abiy Ahmed managed to invite foreign powers to attack citizens; offered neighbors to invade a supposedly sovereign territory he presides over on a transactional basis; helped the destabilization of Sudan as an agent for foreign interests, fueled the Somalia fire through the ill-conceived MoU with Somaliland, and battered relations with Djibouti. He now appears to have turned to Kenya, the only relatively stable country in the region.
In what appears to be an Ethiopian state-led cross-border operation, an armed militia crossed from Ethiopia to attack Oromos in Kenya and abduct foreign nationals. The Abiy regime could have several motives: 1) the usual blame game with the OLA; 2) terrorize the Oromo community in Kenya who support the Oromo struggle; 3) destabilize Kenya which has recently replaced Abiys Ethiopia as a regional anchor state. The impulsive PM competes with Kenyan leadership on matters big and small. Kenyas steady stability and, skillful and liberal handling of popular protests have shown Abiy Ahmed`s rule for what it truly represents in the region. At the end of the investigations into these crimes, even if the Ethiopian authorities were exonerated, at the very least, the Ethiopian territory is being used as a springboard to stage deadly attacks in neighboring countries.
We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families, and with all who are committed to supporting efforts to restore peace and security. To that end, we offer our full cooperation to the Kenyan authorities and international partners in the area in any investigation into these destabilizing activities.
OLF-OLA High Command
August 16, 2024